Soren chortled. “You’d have to live under a rock not to. The woman hasn’t harmed any of us unless we came after her first. Even Ethan, the hardheaded sonofabastard he is, acknowledged this.”
Ethan sent him an annoyed look. “Yes, I am aware I’ve been a?—”
“A right bastard,” Soren cheerfully supplied. “And rightfully deserved getting tossed around like a rag doll.”
Rowan chuckled under his breath.
“We are duty-sworn to kill Chimeras,” Caelan growled.
I jerk back in alarm. Rowan squeezed my hand.
“Then you should have killed her long ago,” he said. “Because you’ve known longer than any of us what she is. So you are just as complicit, aren’t you?”
Caelan doesn’t like being confronted with the truth. “It’s amusing to see how much of an ally you’ve become to our resident Chimera now that your head has been between her legs.”
A shocked gasp escaped me. “Caelan,” I breathed in horror.
To my surprise, Rowan doesn’t outwardly react. That spot in my chest flared with heat, lending me insight into his internal fury, but instead, Rowan smiled. “You lash out at others when your judgment is questioned, deflection of the highest order. I told you once before, Lord, insult Evie again at your own peril.”
Ethan stood, holding out his hands. “Please. We are supposed to be above petty fights.”
Rowan slid his furious gaze to the Lord. “Insulting my mate is not petty, Ethan. We both know how you’d react if someone spoke against yours, so don’t question me when I defend mine.”
The word mate sparks heat inside me. I wasn’t his official mate, but there was enough of a bond to spark his territorial instinct. Even before, he would have defended me. Now, I suspect he would die for me.
Soren slid Caelan a disgusted glance. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You’ve lost. Everyone sitting here knows this woman gave you multiple chances to get your head out of your ass, and you managed to fail every single time. You can’t blame Rowan for picking up the pieces, especially if he knew this entire time what she was to him and still let her decide.” His head shake is disgusted, but his words made my attention snap to Rowan, a question burning in my eyes.
His thumb stroked the back of my hand. “Later,” he murmured.
“This is not what we should be discussing,” Ethan interjected. After a quelling look at Caelan, he turned to me. “Tell us what you know about this magic.”
At Rowan’s dark look, Ethan cleared his throat. “Please.”
“There isn’t much to tell. Right now, it doesn’t seem to have a specific target. The magic kills what it touches or slowly poisons what it can’t kill right away. Moira and my father are working together to determine its source.”
Soren jerked upright. “Moira is working with Cernunnos?”
“She is.”
“For how long?” He wipes his face of emotion.
“For however long it takes, I suppose.”
Rowan snorted. “The vampire is living in my territory. We can arrange a visit if Moira allows one.”
“She won’t,” Soren grumbled.
Ethan waved a hand. “You claim to be able to purge this magic. How are we to trust you won’t wrest our territories from us?”
“Trust is built on a foundation of faith. I’ve never had a lust for power, nor have I gone after anyone who didn’t come after me first. You will have to take me at my word.”
Caelan’s disgusted snort sounded like a gunshot.
I turned blazing eyes to him and stood. “Your derision is well noted but undeserved, Lord. You can rot on your property for all I care anymore. You’ve had your chance to accept my help, and I will not offer assistance again. Perhaps when your land is dead due to your neglect, I will come in to claim the territory.” The Chimera showed through my eyes. “If you continue to speak down to me, I will show you exactly what I am made of.”
Caelan, never one to back down, rose from his seat. “You’ve been nothing but a disappointment to me.”
Rowan started to rise, but I put a hand on his shoulder. I could take care of this myself.
